Major Move for U.S. Return to Human Space Flight

CST-100 Starliner Test Article domes mated into full capsule for first time at Kennedy Space Center

May 11, 2016 in Space

In the high bay at Kennedy Space Center, where the Space Shuttles were maintained, a Boeing team is carefully assembling the next generation space craft.

In a multi-phase operation, that involved minute movement and precise placement, the pieces of the first CST-100 Starliner test article became a capsule. The test article will help verify the manufacturing method, the materials, and the parts being created by Boeing and the project’s suppliers and help study the design of the Starliner.

The next stop for this test article and one other is Huntington Beach, California where the capsules will undergo extensive testing, including extreme environmental testing. The tests must bear out that the capsules can handle the conditions of space as well as engine firings and the pressure of launch, ascent and reentry. In simple terms, it will be shaken, baked and tested to the extreme.